The recent development of optical telemetry systems has seen a significant reduction in the size of system components, such as light emitting devices, light receiving elements, and the optical conductive highways by way of which an optical transmitter and an optical receiver may be coupled to one another. Typically, the communication path is in the form of an optical fiber or filament, the ends of which are coupled with the light transmitting and receiving elements, respectively. In order to assure maximum optical coupling between the ends of the fiber and the optical devices to which they are coupled, it is important to precisely fix the axial distance between the end of the optical fiber and the face of the optical element to which it must be coupled, and to accurately align the end of the fiber with a prescribed location on the surface of the element. In addition, it is desirable that the coupling fitting permit rapid replacement of the optical fiber relative to the optical element.
Examples of optical fiber coupler fitting arrangements which have been proposed to facilitate alignment and replacement of the coupled components are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,060,309 to LeNoane et al and British Pat. No. 1,438,016 to Hennell et al. Basically, each of these arrangements is of tubular or cylindrical configuration with an optical fiber retained in an inner cylindrical sleeve member which, in turn, is inserted into an outer tubular member. A threaded retaining element is frictionally urged against the inner member to hold the fiber and inner element within the outer member. Alignment is to be achieved by a plurality of set screws provided in a tubular body into which the inner and outer cylindrical members are inserted, the set screws engaging the outer surface of the outer cylindrical member and being adjusted to orient the axis of the optical fiber relative to the surface of the light receiving or emitting element. Additional disclosures of optical fiber fitting arrangements may be found in the U.S. Pat. Nos. to Prochazka 3,803,409, Sato 3,936,143, Dakss et al 3,999,841 and IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin Vol. 18, No. 2, July 1975, pages 485 and 486 in an article by E. C. Uberbacher, entitled "Optical Connection for LSI Electrical Circuits".
Unfortunately, devices of the type described in the above literature, including those which purport to achieve fiber-element alignment, while permitting relative replacement between the two, are bulky and complex, thereby incurring a high cost of manufacture and departing from the compact size needed for practical application to present day optical system components.